UN Report Finds Torture, Disappearances in Afghan Jails

Source: Common Dreams

As the war inside Afghanistan grinds on, a new UN survey shows that detainees held by US- and NATO-backed Afghan security forces have been ruthless in their treatment of detainees with widespread reports of systematic torture, gross mistreatment and possible disappearances happening in the country's growing system of detention centers and prisons.

In the report released Sunday, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) found that "despite significant efforts by the Government of Afghanistan and international partners to address ill-treatment of conflict-related detainees, torture persists and remains a serious concern in numerous detention facilities across Afghanistan."

.......

As a review of the full report by the Associated Press found, "Afghan authorities leave detainees hanging from the ceiling by their wrists, beat them with cables and wooden sticks, administer electric shocks, twist their genitals and threaten to shove bottles up their anuses or to kill them."

"UNAMA found a persistent lack of accountability for perpetrators of torture with few investigations and no prosecutions for those responsible,” said Georgette Gagnon, Director of Human Rights for UNAMA. “The findings highlight that torture cannot be addressed by training, inspections and directives alone but requires sound accountability measures to stop and prevent its use. Without deterrents and disincentives to use torture, including a robust, independent investigation process, criminal prosecutions and courts’ consistent refusal to accept confessions gained through torture, Afghan officials have no incentive to stop torture.”

4. ...

"...a persistent lack of accountability for perpetrators of torture with few investigations and no prosecutions for those responsible,”... “The findings highlight that torture cannot be addressed by training, inspections and directives alone but requires sound accountability measures to stop and prevent its use. Without deterrents and disincentives to use torture, including a robust, independent investigation process, criminal prosecutions and courts’ consistent refusal to accept confessions gained through torture, Afghan officials have no incentive to stop torture.”